Beer pong is a widely popular drinking game that utilizes a planar surface, cups at least partially filled with a beverage, and ping pong balls. Players on each side of the planar surface attempt to throw the ping pong balls into one of the cups at the opposite side of the table. If the player succeeds, his or her opponent must drink the beverage that is in the cup.
Typically, the game includes two teams of players and is played on a free-standing table approximately measuring 8 feet by 2 feet. Each team has a group of cups set up in a triangular pattern on each side of the table, typically beginning with 10 cups (in a 4-3-2-1 pattern) or 6 cups (in a 3-2-1 pattern). Each cup is at least partially filled with a beverage, and the beverage is typically alcoholic, most typically, beer. Although rules for the game may vary, the overall purpose of beer pong is for each team to eliminate the other team's cups by throwing or bouncing ping pong balls into the other team's cups.
The rules for each beer pong game may vary. Depending upon the particular set of rules adopted, the defending side may defend its cups. In one variation, no defense is permitted, yet in other variants, the defending side may use hands, one's breath, a paddle or the like. If a ball comes to rest in a defending side's cup, the defending side must drink the contents thereof and the cup is removed from the playing field. When two balls are used and the offensive side is successful in landing both in the cups, the defensive side may be required to remove an additional cup from play and drink its contents, or the game may be considered over. As cups are removed from play, some rule variations allow (or require) re-arrangement of the remaining cups. The side to remove all of the opponent's cups from the playing surface is the winner. Typically, the rules require that the losing team consume the contents of any cups remaining on the winning side's end of the playing surface. In tournament play, rules typically follow the “WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG”™ Full Rules and Regulations.
The preferred playing field for this game is from about six to about eight feet long, with a width in the range of from about two to about three feet. The cups are typically arranged within 18 inches from an end of the playing field, but usually no closer than about 1-4 inches from an end. The preferred playing field is similar in shape and size to that of the surface of a closet door. The playing field is usually placed in a flat horizontal position at the approximate height of a conventional table.
Beer pong is commonly played on a variety of improvised playing fields, including kitchen tables, closet doors, homemade tables, and random pieces of scrap wood, all of which are generally inadequate. This can unfairly affect the difficulty of the game. To promote fairness, it is important that cups are placed in the same starting and regrouping positions on each end of the playing surface, and that this placement is consistent from game to game.
In the prior art, the beverages may become warm during play and, thus, less enjoyable to drink. The length or difficulty of the game may lead to the beverage being warmed up, as well as, environmental conditions (e.g. playing in a warmer environment).
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0107460 describes a freezer pack usable for chilling multiple cups. This freezer pack may be used with a beer pong table to provide limited cooling during play. The freezer pack, however, is formed with cup holders. This limits the ability to move or re-arrange cups during play. Also, the freezer pack lays atop the beer pong table during use.